292 pages : 21 cm

"Through original interviews and reporting, [the author] offers us a wholly original understanding of the controversial icon who has been called the 'black Elvis'."--Jacket

Includes bibliographical references (pages 272-285) and index

Preface : "I always wanted to make a book out of my life" : in search of Tupac -- Childhood chains, adolescent aspirations -- 1. "Dear mama" : motherhood and a hood's mother -- 2. "The son of a panther" : a postrevolutionary childhood -- 3. "No Malcolm X in my history text" : school, learning, and Tupac's books -- Portraits of an artist -- 4. "Give me a paper and a pen" : Tupac's place in hip-hop -- 5. "For all the real niggas out there" : authenticity blues -- Bodies and beliefs -- 6. "Do we hate our women?" : female per versions -- 7. "But do the Lord care?" : God, suffering, compassion, and death in the ghetto -- 8. "I got your name tatted on my arm" : reading the black body -- Epilogue : "how long will they mourn me?" : posthumous presences of a ghetto saint

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews